New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1887-01-12
SUGGESTIONS OF GAMBLERS.

|suPERsTlTloNs OF GAMBLERS,
Racing Men who VIII Not Bet at Ger
tain TImes-Lucky and Unlucky
Days.
Sporting men are noted as being the
most surerstitious persons. Those who
bet on horses are all more or less in
fuenced by certain events which they
look upon as omens of good or i'll luck.
All these signs they eagerly look for,
and are influenced by them on the way
they place their money on the steeds
whose chances they favor.
No, I'm not betting today was
! the reply of one of the turfmen, in an
swer to an inquiry from another Of his
ilk whether he had bought any pools
on the races.
'Busted?'' was another laconic in
quiry.
NO but | laced one of my shoes
up wrong this morning. It's a bad
sign. III let them alone today,
"Are you superstitious?'
Il fraukly confess that am,'' he re-
piled, as he lit q cigar, ssand DON +
know OF a sporting man or gambler
that is not stzperstitious. and furthermore
/ do not believe there is a human being
who is not. Of course, sorne are more
50 than others; but take gamblers and
hofsemen as a glass and yo,e will find
shat each one has his peculiar uuilp.
Now, this morning I laced aey shoe
up wrong. If [ aad left it that way it
would. have been 3 lucky day aor me,
but did not [ 1rnaaced it, and Ell bet
two TO- one if l bought pool on a
horse he would break his neck before
he came under the sttfng.''
That's, quite interesting. Wc,sld
you mifad giving me sotne Of your ex-
perience2 What. do you consider a
lucky omen?''
You want to know what I consider
a lucky omen ehp That's just as the.
idea strikes me- fused to- count white,
horses. Supposing that / was standing
at the conner of Broadway and Wall
street. I'd take out my watch, when I
had one, and time myself, ard count the
number of white horses that turned in
to Wall street from Broadway in five
minutes. I would sometimes 60 on the
odd numbers and sometimes on the
even, Like tb :: If I made up nv
mind on even horses and an even num-
Der went by during the five minutes,
then would be lucky, and vice versa. y
'I've heard of gamblers visiting for
tune-tellers for tips. Did you ever Wis
it them?'
MANY a time. sir Here's an in
stance. I'm a red-hot republican, and
at the time of the presidential cam
paign was backing Blaine for all I was
worth, when went one day to see a
fortune-teller. Says she: You have
been making foolish bets; 60 and bet
the other way all that you have-all |
the money that you can beg or borrow
1 told her was betting on Blaine and
she said Wait. Then she went into
another room and came out in about a
minute. Cleveland will be elected as |
sure as you sit there in that chair but
he will never serve his term out That |
was paralizer, but took stock in it.
for she never fooled me in her life.- I
hedged and bet on Grover on her &C.
count, and made $4,000 clear above nv
hedges, and off Kelly, the bookmaker.
Here's another instance from the same
woman. had been playing in hard
luck, till had only S12 left. I went
to her and told her how was fixed,
and that 1 wanted tip on the races.
She told me to read the names of the
horses. did so, and when I got
through the list she said: eTilfor6 is the
one | am sure of; bet on Tilford.' I
went down to the track, and when the
horses went to the post there were only |.
four tickets sold on Tilford. This was
a bonanza, you know, if he won. [
bought one SIS ticket The track was
regular duck pond; slush up to the
horses knees. Tilford came in last.
Oh, forgot he was entered in two
races that day. The next race he was
in l heard that Mike DAILY, his owner,
wanted to scratch him, but the Judges
would. not have it. This wasn't very
but stuck to him and
put my last flyer on him. His Jockey
famed him with every jump, and
brought him in a winner by two
lengths. got five hundred and odd
dollars for my ticket. So much for for
tune-tellers' tips. Some fortune -tellers
Gated or have it born naturally in them,
duo bucy SSGs GuSIS, otS> d Scucrdl rule.
You gamble on cards, do you?"
20, yes, | make my living as sport
ing manp'' i
''Does your superstition affect you in
playing cards?'
Yes, indeed. If L am going 20 play
cards for money I always hunt up a I
beggar and give him, some money for
luck. have walked sometimes two
miles to find beggar. I know gam
bier who goes daily to an Italian on
Green street, who has three little cana
ries that tell fortunes by pulling an
envelope out OF a pack: He always
follows the advice of the bird, and / I
have actually seen him shed tears over
some of the slips, he got, not from
grief, but from vexation,. if it went
against his grain. =
Il have had gamblers tell me that
they had acquired the habit of trying